---
title: "Cloud Security Strategies Businesses Need to Follow in 2022 | DuoCircle"
description: "Today, cloud platforms serve as the media of operation for CRM, payroll, and even HR processes, other than typical online businesses."
image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png"
canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/email-security/cloud-security-strategies-businesses-need-to-follow-in-2022/"
---

Quick Answer

Cloud security strategy starts with assessing the current cloud footprint: identify sensitive data and classify it, monitor who can access it, audit IaaS configurations for identity, access, and network management, and watch for insider risk via user behavior analytics. From there, the working practices: due diligence on cloud vendors before signing (security practices, data protection, disaster recovery, encryption, compliance, breach response); identity and access management with multi-factor authentication (poor identity management drove 44% of cloud security risk and credential leakage drove 69% in 2021); employee training plus anti-malware tooling, since 90% of data breaches target cloud servers and most start with a phishing or social-engineering attack on a person; data minimization and double encryption, encrypting data both at rest and in transit; endpoint hardening with firewalls, EDR, and access control (insider threats rose 44% in two years at an average cost of $15.38 million); and IDPS plus regular compliance review. The response side matters too: 2FA on access, continuous policy updates, containment and removal procedures, and monthly analysis whether or not an incident occurred.

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![Cloud Security Strategies](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2022/02/dkim-record-check-7446.jpg) 

Today, cloud platforms serve as the media of operation for CRM, payroll, and even HR processes, other than typical online businesses, which is why businesses today need to emphasize the best [cloud security](/cloud-email/why-your-organization-needs-cloud-email-security/) strategies to ensure [email security](/) and compliance with regulatory requirements. _Cloud security is necessary due to the various risks of misconfigurations, unauthorized access, and many other cybersecurity issues_.

## Understanding Cloud Risks and Cloud Security

Developing an excellent **cloud security strategy** requires understanding your enterprise’s current state of cloud security. Assessing your cloud is necessary to:

- **Identify Data:** Identification of sensitive information and data classification to assess the risk of regulatory fines in cases of theft or loss.
- **Sharing Data:** Monitoring data and profiles who can access the sensitive data and managing permissions for such data.
- **Auditing Configurations:** A cloud service such as IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) contains many critical settings, which is why you should access proper configurations for identity, access, and network management.
- **Identify Insiders:** Careless employees, malicious insiders, or third-party vendors pose significant threats and can be identified using User Behavior Analytics (UBA) to mitigate internal risks.

[![Cloud Security](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2022/02/dkim-validation-7447.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2022/02/dkim-validation-7447.jpg)

## Protecting Your Cloud Environment: Best Practices to Follow

Businesses need to access every move and make sure they employ the best cloud [security strategies](/email-security/why-cios-must-make-email-security-a-priority-in-their-overall-security-strategy/) by completing:

1. **Due Diligence:** The initial step for a secure cloud is employing the best available cloud provider. Before choosing a cloud vendor, _businesses should complete the due diligence and remove each doubt up to satisfaction_ regarding the vendor’s reputation, [security practices](/email-security/email-security-best-practices-and-standards-organizations-must-implement/), data storage, protection, disaster recovery plan, data encryption, compliance, authentication, and response strategies. Furthermore, businesses should check how the vendor would handle customer response and technical support in a data breach. Choosing a cloud vendor that fits all of the above and feels right can help ensure a safe cloud platform.
2. **Identity & Access Management:** A unified access management strategy can help eliminate most cloud risks. Authentication and access management systems are crucial. Poor identity or credential management can lead to [accidental exposure or leakage](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1172265/biggest-cloud-security-concerns-in-2020/) of business data attributed to **44% and 69%** of the most significant cloud security risks in 2021, respectively. An excellent IAM (Identity and Access Management) solution paired with MFA (multi-factor authentication) can fit in hybrid work environments accessed by private and public networks and _strengthen your cloud security strategy_.
3. **Malware Protection and Staff Education:** Cybercriminals target employees, and **90% of data breaches** target cloud servers which is why educating your staff must be a priority for a secure cloud. Lack of [training and awareness](/phishing-awareness-training) regarding malware deployment, social engineering, and [phishing tactics](/phishing-protection/a-new-day-a-new-set-of-phishing-tactics/) can lead cybercriminals to a data breach, so your cloud security strategy must involve proper **employee training** before granting access to the cloud system. Furthermore, a malware and threat protection agent or software can act as an additional line of defense by providing scans of cloud data and sandboxes for running files in safe mode to keep the cloud database secure. **Anti-malware solutions** also cover human errors or vulnerabilities.
4. **Data Minimization & Double Encryption:** _Cloud servers are critical storage for a ton of data, so there is good reason to limit it_. There is no need for protection if the data is not readily available from the cloud. Avoiding unnecessary data for business deals or [complex financial data](https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/) for record-keeping should be the primary focus while minimizing cloud data to help reduce risk exposure. _Encryption is also critical while handling cloud data_. Your business should encrypt data both in storage and during transmission. **Cloud data encryption** can help [prevent data theft,](/content/email-phishing-protection/best-phishing-protection) corruption, exfiltration and satisfies all regulatory data security requirements to help keep your cloud secure and customers satisfied.
5. **Securing Endpoints:** A standalone cloud vendor with minimal security measures may not be enough when your organization is dealing with complex datasets and endpoint devices, which is why strong endpoint security is needed for your cloud. With the ever-evolving threats, there is a need for a successful cloud security strategy that includes firewalls, proper access control, [anti-malware solutions](/email/phishing-protection), and Endpoint Threat Detection and Response (EDR) tools for round the clock monitoring and collection of endpoint data. _An EDR tool can help protect all endpoints by eliminating threats via analyzing patterns and containing them_. These also help diagnose and [eliminate insider threats](https://www.proofpoint.com/us/resources/threat-reports/cost-of-insider-threats) that have _risen by 44% within the last two years_, costing an average of **$15.38 million**.
6. **IDPS & Compliance:** IDPS (Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems) solutions provide significant protection for your cloud. IDPS solutions monitor your cloud platform to detect malware and spyware and use advanced analytics to investigate and correlate threats. Furthermore, an IDPS can discover Command and Control Attacks (C&C) and identify exploitation and evasive techniques that cybercriminals use to target your business. While developing a cloud security strategy, businesses should also regularly check for compliance requirements as they handle confidential customer and partner data.

[![anti-malware solutions](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2022/02/dkim-selector-7448.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2022/02/dkim-selector-7448.jpg)

## Responding to Security Issues

_Assessing your cloud and employing the best cloud security strategies is only half of the work_. A cloud security issue will require a proper response practice that must include:

- **Additional Verification:** Additional verification of users via 2FA ([Two Factor Authentication](/phishing-protection/how-the-latest-scam-shows-two-factor-authentication-doesnt-prevent-phishing/)) for accessing sensitive data from your cloud database to limit access.
- **Update Cloud Policies:** Continuous updates of access policies and integrating a cloud risk database into the firewall are essential to keep up with regulatory requirements.
- **Containment & Removal:** _Monitoring systems to detect malicious activity and conducting containment protocols to stop the threat from spreading_. Once the cause has been identified, organizations should appropriately **remove the malware** or risk element and cloud security reassessed to prevent future breaches.
- **Analysis:** Regular analysis of all policies and procedures every month, with or without an incident, can help evaluate efforts and improve cloud incident response.

## Final Words

The use of a cloud service for your organization is essential, considering they serve such a crucial component in today’s corporate operations. _Organizations must be vigilant regarding cloud security and data protection with the growing risks to the cloud_. Businesses can utilize cloud systems best while ensuring the safety of their organization and customers by following the cloud security strategies mentioned above.

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) 

Brad Slavin 

General Manager

General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio.

## Secure your email infrastructure

Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution.

[Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) 

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